Print zine pulishing is too expensive (Duh!) - We Make Zines2016-12-10T05:29:09Zhttp://wemakezines.ning.com/forum/topics/print-zine-pulishing-is-too?xg_source=activity&id=2288844%3ATopic%3A54802&feed=yes&xn_auth=noI think everyone should start…tag:wemakezines.ning.com,2009-04-20:2288844:Comment:611322009-04-20T16:37:17.106ZPatrick Goldenhttp://wemakezines.ning.com/profile/PatrickGolden
I think everyone should start utilizing press releases, which is basically an article published to search engines and the press release article directory that includes newsworthy information about anything that is any bit important. But you have to be crafty and not explicitly advertise your zine. Just make a loophole by including a newsworthy article in your zine and then make that the focus of your press release. Just rewrite the article in your own words and then press release sites will…
I think everyone should start utilizing press releases, which is basically an article published to search engines and the press release article directory that includes newsworthy information about anything that is any bit important. But you have to be crafty and not explicitly advertise your zine. Just make a loophole by including a newsworthy article in your zine and then make that the focus of your press release. Just rewrite the article in your own words and then press release sites will allow it to be published.<br />
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Something like "[Zine Name] Supports the Protection of Snow Leopards in Central Asia" will get published as long as your press release is predominantly about snow leopards, where they live, why they're endangered, what people are doing about it, etc. and then a tidbit of it is about your zine and where you can get more information about your zine. And also scatter your zine name throughout the press release so you can make sure people know who is writing the press release and will also remember your zine name. You could also say that zines are available for purchase for those who wish to learn more about snow leopards and endangered animals (assuming your zine is about animals; lol). But that might be pushing the advertising envelope, since a press release is supposed to be objective, so maybe just include a link to your website or something.<br />
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It is rather nifty and a lot of places offer press release publication for free. They sometimes submit your press release to the major search engines and also publish it to their front page, depending on who you submit to. Most also offer upgrades if you have the money. They range from $1 (which actually can provide a lot of benefits) to $80 to even $300+. A list of free press release sites: <a href="http://mashable.com/2007/10/20/press-releases/" target="_blank">http://mashable.com/2007/10/20/press-releases/</a><br />
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Here are a few sites that provide information about writing press releases:<br />
<a href="http://www.publicityinsider.com/release.asp" target="_blank">http://www.publicityinsider.com/release.asp</a><br />
<a href="http://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Press-Release" target="_blank">http://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Press-Release</a><br />
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All links in this post open a new window. =] "Plus that's too much like th…tag:wemakezines.ning.com,2009-04-20:2288844:Comment:609692009-04-20T04:33:38.326ZAaron Cynichttp://wemakezines.ning.com/profile/AaronCynic
"Plus that's too much like the mainstream press where you're also not allowed to express yourself freely."<br />
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I think the movie Field of Dreams applies here - if you write it, they will read it. It's about what you want to get out of doing a zine. If you want fame and fortune, you should probably pitch someone a reality tv show. If you want to express yourself, write a zine or blog or whatever. Every zine I've ever made I've done at a loss. I think I broke even once or twice. But I make them…
"Plus that's too much like the mainstream press where you're also not allowed to express yourself freely."<br />
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I think the movie Field of Dreams applies here - if you write it, they will read it. It's about what you want to get out of doing a zine. If you want fame and fortune, you should probably pitch someone a reality tv show. If you want to express yourself, write a zine or blog or whatever. Every zine I've ever made I've done at a loss. I think I broke even once or twice. But I make them because I love doing them. Can't say I've ever felt like…tag:wemakezines.ning.com,2009-04-20:2288844:Comment:609352009-04-20T00:41:00.741ZKatehttp://wemakezines.ning.com/profile/Kate29
Can't say I've ever felt like a drug pusher when someone showed interest in buying my zine. If you print something people are interested in reading, they'll figure out a way to part with their money. It's about them, in the end, not you, right? I can see how printing would be expensive if no one wants to buy the final product. I understand that the implication of the original post is that somehow there is a flaw in the "zine public," a specific and classifiable closed-mindedness. What is a…
Can't say I've ever felt like a drug pusher when someone showed interest in buying my zine. If you print something people are interested in reading, they'll figure out a way to part with their money. It's about them, in the end, not you, right? I can see how printing would be expensive if no one wants to buy the final product. I understand that the implication of the original post is that somehow there is a flaw in the "zine public," a specific and classifiable closed-mindedness. What is a message if there is no recipient? What are you printing in your zine that is so categorically uninteresting to what you see as the zine community?<br />
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What I'm replying to here is the notion that an Ezine (note to self: start thread on We Make Ezines regarding the line between an Ezine and a Web site) complemented by advertising fliers (which require printing) is in any way less expensive than printing a zine. How?<br />
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If you don't somehow print your zine free or for a negligible cost, is it because you have issues with it or because you genuinely cannot figure out a way that does not require you to be, as the original poster put it, extremely wealthy?<br />
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Breakdown: If it's interesting, you sell it for money. That's how you do it without going broke. If it's not interesting, you lose money or take it to LiveJournal. The problem isn't that printing is expensive, it's that people print uninteresting things and expect to make money anyway. I almost exclusively print uninteresting zines and have a lot of experience in this regard. Print for free or cheap (if you're seriously faltering on this, message me -- I'll print your zine for you) or adjust your expectations. Simply painless.<br />
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<cite>Steve Deefekt said:</cite><blockquote cite="http://wemakezines.ning.com/forum/topics/print-zine-pulishing-is-too?id=2288844%3ATopic%3A54802&amp;page=3#2288844Comment60813"><div>This is the reason I want to work on producing an E-Zine, I have the time, the contacts the experience but not the spare money, any spare cash I get does on drum equipment of sound equipment, I enjoyed the printing process and the selling at gigs, but these days it seems less and less zines are coming out, and most people are logged on, jacked in or what ever, so I thought lets use the new dam fangled way of internet cyber-space and maybe just give out flyers to people, so I get the best of both worlds, do a zine not have to worry about selling it, and then have the fun of going up to people at gigs and chatting to them without feeling like your a drug pusher trying to get people to part with their money.<br/> <br/>
And also there is the great thing of being able to re-interveiw people and you have all the information there so you can link from old information to new, up date. plus my Dyslexia can be checked, which I still cringe about some 'gone to print' pieces from before..</div>
</blockquote> This is the reason I want to…tag:wemakezines.ning.com,2009-04-19:2288844:Comment:608132009-04-19T10:09:34.533ZSteve Deefekthttp://wemakezines.ning.com/profile/SteveDeefekt
This is the reason I want to work on producing an E-Zine, I have the time, the contacts the experience but not the spare money, any spare cash I get does on drum equipment of sound equipment, I enjoyed the printing process and the selling at gigs, but these days it seems less and less zines are coming out, and most people are logged on, jacked in or what ever, so I thought lets use the new dam fangled way of internet cyber-space and maybe just give out flyers to people, so I get the best of…
This is the reason I want to work on producing an E-Zine, I have the time, the contacts the experience but not the spare money, any spare cash I get does on drum equipment of sound equipment, I enjoyed the printing process and the selling at gigs, but these days it seems less and less zines are coming out, and most people are logged on, jacked in or what ever, so I thought lets use the new dam fangled way of internet cyber-space and maybe just give out flyers to people, so I get the best of both worlds, do a zine not have to worry about selling it, and then have the fun of going up to people at gigs and chatting to them without feeling like your a drug pusher trying to get people to part with their money.<br />
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And also there is the great thing of being able to re-interveiw people and you have all the information there so you can link from old information to new, up date. plus my Dyslexia can be checked, which I still cringe about some 'gone to print' pieces from before.. I dunno if anyone's suggested…tag:wemakezines.ning.com,2009-04-18:2288844:Comment:606702009-04-18T20:02:39.234ZPatrick Goldenhttp://wemakezines.ning.com/profile/PatrickGolden
I dunno if anyone's suggested this - didn't read it all because I generally don't like being on forums on public computers - but you definitely should search around for a local print shop or local print chain at the most, rather than those big corporate chains. A local copying place I found does copies (on 8.5" x 11" paper; half-size zine) for $0.11 total for double-sided self-serve as opposed to something like $0.10 per side ($0.20 total) at FedEx Kinko's. Now, for one sheet it's not a whole…
I dunno if anyone's suggested this - didn't read it all because I generally don't like being on forums on public computers - but you definitely should search around for a local print shop or local print chain at the most, rather than those big corporate chains. A local copying place I found does copies (on 8.5" x 11" paper; half-size zine) for $0.11 total for double-sided self-serve as opposed to something like $0.10 per side ($0.20 total) at FedEx Kinko's. Now, for one sheet it's not a whole lot of difference, but if you use 4 sheets of paper for a 16-page zine and print 50 copies to start, you just saved $18 ($22 total at the local shop, as opposed to $40). And then you can use that extra money to make some flyers for your zine (-cough- ...contact me about this... =P) James N. Dawson said:But for…tag:wemakezines.ning.com,2009-04-15:2288844:Comment:598442009-04-15T18:22:56.081ZDan 10thingshttp://wemakezines.ning.com/profile/Dan10things
<cite>James N. Dawson said:</cite><blockquote cite="http://wemakezines.ning.com/forum/topics/print-zine-pulishing-is-too?x=1&amp;id=2288844%3ATopic%3A54802&amp;page=2#2288844Comment57119"><div>But for me, ethically, "scamming" (i.e. stealing copies) is not on option...as a libertarian, a Buddhist, and an individual who doesn't like to dehumanize people (which stealing from them does), even "corporations".</div>
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I'm not sure how you can justify your position by libertarianism. I…
<cite>James N. Dawson said:</cite><blockquote cite="http://wemakezines.ning.com/forum/topics/print-zine-pulishing-is-too?x=1&amp;id=2288844%3ATopic%3A54802&amp;page=2#2288844Comment57119"><div>But for me, ethically, "scamming" (i.e. stealing copies) is not on option...as a libertarian, a Buddhist, and an individual who doesn't like to dehumanize people (which stealing from them does), even "corporations".</div>
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I'm not sure how you can justify your position by libertarianism. I have strong libertarian leanings... individual rights trump corporate and government rights in my world. I hate it when people compare corporations to people, they are more like government than people. I can definitely understand how your ethics keep you from scamming, more power to you for sticking by your belief system. I'm just saying there is a long history in zining of scamming to publish your zine that seems to be a little lost in the newest generation of zinesters. I'm gonna start a scam thread to share tips! If you attend a university, t…tag:wemakezines.ning.com,2009-04-15:2288844:Comment:598082009-04-15T04:38:03.424ZNat Rallyhttp://wemakezines.ning.com/profile/NatRally
If you attend a university, they usually give you a hefty amount of pages in your "print quota." for computer printers. I printed one of my zines while the quota server was down, basically getting +100 copies for free!
If you attend a university, they usually give you a hefty amount of pages in your "print quota." for computer printers. I printed one of my zines while the quota server was down, basically getting +100 copies for free! I'm not sure if I want to be…tag:wemakezines.ning.com,2009-04-05:2288844:Comment:571192009-04-05T22:25:16.203ZJames N. Dawsonhttp://wemakezines.ning.com/profile/JamesNDawson
I'm not sure if I want to be opening up another can of worms...and I hope this doesn't sound like a sermon or a challenge to the "scam ethic" dominant in the zine community...and I guess I'm opening myself up to being called a "goodie goodie", a "straight arrow" and a "right-wing corporation lover"...<br />
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But for me, ethically, "scamming" (i.e. stealing copies) is not on option...as a libertarian, a Buddhist, and an individual who doesn't like to dehumanize people (which stealing from them does),…
I'm not sure if I want to be opening up another can of worms...and I hope this doesn't sound like a sermon or a challenge to the "scam ethic" dominant in the zine community...and I guess I'm opening myself up to being called a "goodie goodie", a "straight arrow" and a "right-wing corporation lover"...<br />
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But for me, ethically, "scamming" (i.e. stealing copies) is not on option...as a libertarian, a Buddhist, and an individual who doesn't like to dehumanize people (which stealing from them does), even "corporations". And in my final analysis, corporations, are, ultimately "people". Not necessarily la creme de la creme, but still people. I take my ethics seriously. Again, I'm not issuing a challenge, just putting in my 2 cents worth "for the record".<br />
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I do very little promotion, other than sending my zines out for review. I always send to Zine World. No offense to Davida who does a wonderful job, but I haven't been sending to Xerography Debt since I learned their reviews are selective. That's not a sin. I can understand why they'd only want to review "good" zines, and I'm grateful for some good reviews in and orders from XD, but ideally I prefer to send my work only to zines that try to review every zine they get, on egalitarian principles.<br />
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I do about a 100 copies, sometimes only 80, about once a year, and it takes me years to exhaust that supply. I've also been making about 60 copies of my 2-6 page apa-zines, that I mail out sporadically. I get some letters that are interesting, appreciative, informative, and thoughtful. I've met a lot of great zine friends. I also get trades. For me, that's plenty. I don't think I could handle too much more than I already have. Writing a zine is a slow, deliberate process, and I feel, the end product is more complete, more carefully worded and crafted, than forum messages (though they have their value too). Just the fact that I've made something that exists in physical space, in someone's home, or in some quiet old library somewhere, gives me a feeling of accomplishment. I make my zines for zine lovers, and I get satisfaction that a few people, even only a few, are happy to get and enjoy them.<br />
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I recently came across a full page ad in a Big Mail publication for offset printing. Here are some figures 100 double-side copies: $9 (4.5 cents per side, much better than Staples and 8/9 cents). 250 double-side: $15.75 (3.1 cents per side). 250 11 x 17 double-sided: 31.50. Prices INCLUDE shipping. E-Mail: ThriftyP@CenturyTel.net<br />
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I have not tried this, but it looks promising.<br />
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WARNING: Back in the mid-nineties I got some mail order printing from a company with similar terms. They're work was cheap and of good quality. But the last time it seemed like they were taking a long time to send my copies back. I called them and the woman who answered told me that the printer had "taken them home for review". I was puzzled. Why? What did she mean? She answered coldly and tersely, "We're a Christian company and your material was morally offensive". I was stunned. Okay, then please just send back my masters. You have no right to take them home and hold them. Fortunately they did promptly return them. Moral---Even printers with good quality and prices MAY have religious or ideological beliefs that may make them cause trouble for you. Anyone care to share with us…tag:wemakezines.ning.com,2009-04-05:2288844:Comment:571022009-04-05T19:33:13.901ZEricfishlegshttp://wemakezines.ning.com/profile/Ericfishlegs
Anyone care to share with us any of these great copy scams? Or at least tell us where we can find out about them? Like Nicoleintrovert said, I don't have access to a Xerox machine at work and once Staples stopped using the honor system I was pretty well fucked as far as scams go. Though I do admit I've never been great at being sneaky so there could be obvious scams I'm overlooking.<br />
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Besides, most of these scams depend more on apathetic employees than anything else. I'm pretty sure they notice…
Anyone care to share with us any of these great copy scams? Or at least tell us where we can find out about them? Like Nicoleintrovert said, I don't have access to a Xerox machine at work and once Staples stopped using the honor system I was pretty well fucked as far as scams go. Though I do admit I've never been great at being sneaky so there could be obvious scams I'm overlooking.<br />
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Besides, most of these scams depend more on apathetic employees than anything else. I'm pretty sure they notice you spending hours at a machine and carrying out boxes of copies while only paying $5. get your zine a myspace page.…tag:wemakezines.ning.com,2009-04-05:2288844:Comment:570902009-04-05T18:37:39.019ZCocoaPuss Zinehttp://wemakezines.ning.com/profile/CocoaPussZine
get your zine a myspace page. friend request everyone with the word "zine" in their name and then trade. people will start reading it that way. myspace is a good way to build up readers. i've talked to people from there that are on here and i didn't even realize that.<br />
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you have to make your zine sound like the best thing in the entire world. send it to distros. write blogs about it. ask people about their zine and get good feedback from successful zines. my friend osa always answers my…
get your zine a myspace page. friend request everyone with the word "zine" in their name and then trade. people will start reading it that way. myspace is a good way to build up readers. i've talked to people from there that are on here and i didn't even realize that.<br />
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you have to make your zine sound like the best thing in the entire world. send it to distros. write blogs about it. ask people about their zine and get good feedback from successful zines. my friend osa always answers my questions and she's great. all the ladies on here are a HUGE help to me. love them.<br />
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lastly, if you are just going to complain, just stop making a zine for awhile and do something else. everyone has offered you a LOT of feedback and you just have to make a choice now.